There is a brief editorial on The Tufts Daily about the latest effort by New Hampshire to decriminalize small amounts of Marijuana. Here's a wee snip from the page:

The New Hampshire House of Representatives' recent passing of Bill 1623, which would decriminalize the possession of a quarter-ounce of marijuana or less, is a logical - if controversial - decision, and one that the Daily supports.

New Hampshire would be the 13th state to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. Under current New Hampshire law, possession of a quarter-ounce of marijuana is punishable by a $2,000 fine and up to a year in jail - a punishment that supporters of the bill say is too harsh.

The number of states tolerating Marijuana is growing quickly, hopefully a sign of the times for post-Bush America.

The Concord Monitor posted an op/ed about a recent bill to reduce penalties for Marijuana posession.

The hearing on HB 1623, the bill to reduce penalties for marijuana possession, made for some interesting drama in the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.

The most eye-opening statement came from Berlin Police Chief Peter Morency, president of the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police. Morency claimed that "87 to 90 percent of our crime rate is directly related to drugs and alcohol." This mention of drugs and alcohol in the same breath got the attention of Democratic Rep. Timothy Robertson of Keene. Robertson asked Morency if, following the logic of marijuana prohibition, he would be in favor of reinstituting alcohol prohibition.